It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finaly, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win…and those who will lose everything. . .

| Book Review |

Caraval burst onto the book scene a few years ago to a lot of polarizing reviews, but I was firmly in the loved it camp. From the moment I read the first book in this series, I’ve been looking forward to the last. And let me just say, Finale did not disappoint. This is a series that you don’t want to pick up out of order. Every book ups the ante, and if you don’t read them sequentially, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice.

I’m going to be vague in this review, because I would hate to spoil the final installment of this series for anyone. I will say that I thought this book was action packed, and my romance loving heart really got its fill with all of the back and forth in this one. My heart was pounding, and I just could not see how this was going to work out. As usual, sparks are flying between Tella and Legend, and in true Scarlett fashion, she can’t help but overthink her relationship with Julian. But from the very beginning, the heart of this series has always been Scarlett and Tella’s relationship – how much they love each other and how nothing could change that. This book was the same. These sisters adored each other, and woe be to anyone who tries to hurt one of the Dragna girls. They will go to the ends of the earth for each other, and I love that there was nothing that could stand in the way of that.

All of the characters that we’ve loved and loved to hate show up in Finale, and just like the first two books in the series, this one is rife with surprises. I love the entire concept of the Deck of Destiny and the Fates. It felt so unique and fresh to me, and while the Caraval series feels finished, I’m not convinced that the Fates are. I have my fingers crossed for a spin-off series; they are so interesting and mystifying. I want to know more about them – everything about them! There was one character in particular that I wanted a happy ending for. But to be honest, I’m not sure I’d have been satisfied with that, because I’m not sure it’s ‘fated’ to happen. Things probably worked out just as they were supposed to, and I’m probably shooting for the moon by wishing for more. But like Tella in so many situations, I just can’t help myself. And the writing here – it was gorgeous. I loved all of the descriptions, and it made this lush world even richer. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

She parted her lips, but that was all she could do. The hand at her waist kept her pressed to him, while the fingers at her neck spread out, covering her throat as he tilted her head back, taking complete control as he deepened the kiss. She couldn’t have moved even if she’d wanted to. He was possessing her, owning her with every sweep of his tongue and press of his lips, wordlessly telling her once more that he wanted to keep her forever. He didn’t kiss her as if he’d simply just come back to life. He kissed her as if he’d died, been buried, and clawed his way out of the grave and through the dirt just to get to her.

Finale was a book that swept me away and had me so thoroughly enjoying myself that I didn’t want to put it down. It felt to me that the first two books in the series really were leading up to these exact moments, and everything played out perfectly. Tella may have been under Legend’s spell and Scarlett Julian’s, but for 496 pages, I was under Stephanie Garber’s. I loved this book and will be rereading this series again soon.